Solidarity
by T. J. Landman
Summary: A first-person perspective, seen from the eyes of an OC - Lelouch's twin brother, and how the story changes because of him. They are sent to Japan, but they don't renounce their claims to the throne and they are, for all intents and purposes, still royalty.
1. Chapter I Origins

This is my first attempt at any kind of fan fiction, and my first attempt at writing anything longer than a few pages. I welcome any and all criticism regarding to both the quality of my writing and continuity of the story, as well as suggestions for the future of the story, however I'd like everyone to abstain from critiquing why my characters act in certain ways, why they are the way they are or why things didn't happen the same as in the original Code Geass, some things will be different, the timeline will be pretty much the same but I may or may not omit some events. This is not going to be a fix-fiction, I am not trying to make CG better in any way, this is just a what-if, a first person view of an OC, Lelouch's fraternal twin, one Lionel vi Britannia. I will keep this regularly updated, at least for now, and will try to finish the story if and when I do not have the time to continue it, but I am looking to write at the very least 100k words.

And for the very curious people - yes... there will a new, different, Geass for Lionel.

* * *

Solidarity

Chapter I. Origins.

One does not know true hatred until he sees it in the eyes of a child.

**2009 A.T.B. Aries Villa**

The sound of soft footsteps in the hallway reaches my ears, I'm slowly waking up from a deep slumber, slowly regaining consciousness. The footsteps are getting louder and louder and I can sense the sound nearing the door to my room, the treading is replaced by three loud knocks on the luxurious agarwood door. Even in my hypnopompic state, I quickly realise who is waiting for my answer at the door.

"Leave me alone, brother." I call out, perhaps a bit too harshly, knowing that he and I felt the same about what had transpired only days ago.

"You cannot sulk forever, I will not let you." a sharp voice belonging to a nine year old boy was heard from the other side of the door.

"I would rather you leave me alone for now, I cannot bear to look at the faces of the so-called "high" class right now, not after what they did to her!" I almost yelled back at my brother.

"That is all well and good, but I am leaving for the hospital, Nunnally needs us now, more than ever before." came his response, and he knew he had convinced me. No matter how angry I was, angry at him and his Empire, our common love for Nunnally would not falter, her safety and happiness would always come first.

"I will be right there, Lelouch."

* * *

The drive to the hospital was short, Pendragon was never a large city, only the high nobles had the money or the privilege to live in the capital.

Once at our destination, we were directed to the room where Nunnally was still sleeping, I sat on her right while Lelouch went to her left. To some this would similar to a mirror image, me and my brother shared many external traits, we were fraternal twins, not identical but many would be hard pressed to tell otherwise.

The main difference stood in our eyes and hair, while Lelouch carried the jet black hair of our mother and the piercing violet eyes of the Emperor, I had the raven hair but with blonde streaks, probably from our father, and a set of piercing blue eyes that housed a central heterochromia of green, everybody was shocked at the colour of my eyes at first and when I asked mother she told me that the first member of the Britannian Imperial Family, Eowyn himself, was recognised on the battlefield by his trademark gaze – piercing blue eyes with green seeping from their core.

Aside from these obvious differences, one would not be able to tell me and my brother apart, at least not until one of us spoke. Although we shared an introverted personality, and although I was very intelligent myself, Lelouch always had an upper hand in strategy and tactics, and where people were concerned, I understood them faster and easier than my brother did. But perhaps my greatest redeeming quality was my physical ability, an area in which my brother failed on all levels.

A sudden squeeze on my hand brought me back from my thoughts and I looked at Nunnally, saddened by her loss of sight and ability to walk, but determined to make her life easier from now on.

"Nunnally..." both me and Lelouch whispered at the same time.

"Lelouch... Lionel... don't do anything stupid on account of me..." our sister said, softly, in her usual tone, somehow calming both me and my brother down and making us forget about our desire for revenge, at least for a little while.

* * *

My brother was pacing back and forth, determined to dig a hole in the beautiful red marble flooring of the Aries Villa.

"I know what you are thinking, but lashing out in public at him is not going to solve anything, I am just as angry as you are but we have to be patient! I thought you of all people would understand me." I shouted at him, but he didn't stop even for a second.

"Remember what Nunnally said, we must not do anything stupid on account of what happened." This got to him, he stopped and gave me one of his best glares, I did not flinch and returned my own, he seemed to calm down. I approached him slowly and put my hand on his shoulder, still looking deep within his violet eyes.

"We will have our revenge, in due time." we shared an evil smile.

**The Imperial Quarters**

"I still do not approve of your actions, you lied to me, but you may be right regarding the two brothers, they could become quite problematic in the future..." Charles said in his thunderous voice.

"So then do it, make them prove themselves among all others, after all, that is what the Empire is all about!" the voice of a young boy was heard echoing throughout the chambers.

**Pendragon Airport**

"What do you mean, Lionel? Why is father sending us to Japan?" Nunnally asked in her innocent, angelic voice.

"I don't know for sure Nunnally, but Lelouch suspects he wants to test us, to see if we are strong enough now that mother is no longer here." I answered, careful not to show the disgust in my voice because I was surrounded by many blind followers of the Empire.

I heard the sound of crisp footsteps behind me and I turned to see Lelouch being escorted by our half-sister, Cornelia. She grabbed all three of us in a hug, something very uncharacteristic of the military-centric sister, and she whispered softly, so as to not be heard by the other soldiers around us.

"Do not worry, I will always watch over you, I failed your mother but the past will not be repeated. Farewell my brothers." Somehow the words that Cornelia uttered seemed to make everything better. We, the vi Britannias, always considered Cornelia and Euphemia true sisters, because after their mother's death, our mother took them in and raised them as her own, so we always knew that Cornelia couldn't have been involved in Marianne's assassination, but knowing that we weren't alone in our quest made me feel safer in a way.


	2. Chapter II Rude Awakenings

This chapter, much like the previous one, is going to be rather slow and tedious, I do this with all of my stories, even if they are short, nothing interesting is going to be happening here but it is very important to set the timeline and the development of the characters underway. Very interesting things are to come in the next chapter, I look forward to writing it.

* * *

**2010 A.T.B. Japan**

The smell of seared flesh and bone filled my nostrils, dark smoke is rising from all over the island, red is the only colour that can be seen for miles – the crimson of the blood, the red hue of the flames around us, even the ground itself seems to be angry at the world, this is the closest thing to hell that I can think of, and I am living it. Lelouch is convincing Nunnally that everything is all right and that we are just passing by a few steak houses, I am struggling to keep the little that I have eaten over the last few weeks inside my stomach, and the road to Suzaku's safe house seems to be getting longer every day, we don't know how much longer we can cope with this, but we can only hope things will get better. Death, pain, sadness – these seem to be the only three things left in this country, and nobody is to be trusted, the Britannians would not trust us, because we are travelling with Suzaku, and the Japanese would not spare a Britannian, even if he is a kid or in a wheelchair, our only chance is to keep moving.

**February 2015 A.T.B. Ashford Academy Grounds, Area 11**

My eyes are closed, I can feel the sweat dripping from my forehead and my sleepwear clinging to my skin, my skin is dry and my lips are chapped, I try to open my eyes but the blinding light closes them for me.

"Another nightmare, huh?" I can hear Lelouch's voice coming from the doorway, and feel reality gripping at me once again.

"Yes, just when I was beginning to think they had gone away, I guess being through hell and back again is not something you'll ever forget, is it?" I asked rhetorically.

"Enough of that, Sayoko has prepared breakfast and Nunnally is expecting us downstairs to eat, after that we're supposed to be meeting Milly and the rest of the student council."

"And here I was, thinking that Lelouch did not care for his responsibilities. I mean it's not like you don't have perfect class attendance and you've always done your duties." I replied in my very sarcastic tone, meaning to annoy Lelouch, something very difficult to do even in ideal circumstances. He shrugs and walks off, I chuckle ironically at my pathetic attempt, reading myself for breakfast.

* * *

The cold winter air bit on my skin, I could feel my eyelashes icing over and the slow landing of the snowflakes on my face, the slight creaking of my footsteps on the freshly lain snow brought a smile to my lips, I began to wander if everybody felt the same way about the heavenly music that is played every time someone steps on the virgin snow. Morning classes always seemed to drag on forever and never actually amount to anything, me and Lelouch were forced to pass our exams with average grades, we didn't want to stand out, naturally. Lionel Lamperouge should be, at least on paper, the epitome of average. I sighed loudly at my thoughts, always thinking of what could have been, instead of enjoying the nice, quiet life I lead, but always the feeling that I could have more for myself, more for my brother and for my sister. I knew that I was destined for greatness. My train of thought was cut short by the ringing of the school bell, I headed for my next class – Britannian History, I always found it rather boring, my education as a Prince was more than enough to last me a lifetime, at least as far as imperial history is concerned.

"Mister Lamperouge. It seems that you would rather be somewhere else, could you tell us why The American Revolution fails to bear fruit?" I raised my head, so did my brother, the teacher failed to see the reason of our actions, I cleared my throat because a verbal response from either me or Lelouch would be harsh and possibly uncalled for, we could be described as unforgiving by an outside eye, we rather preferred elitism ourselves, we didn't like mediocrity but always strived to defend the weak, I found this funny, two living contradictions.

"Lionel Lamperouge, if you wouldn't mind answering the question." the teacher corrected himself.

"The Duke of Britannia bribes Benjamin Franklin with promises of titles and territories in the colonies, who was charged with appealing to Louis XVI for assistance in the American colonies' war for independence. After that, Benjamin Franklin is given the title of Earl. As a result, the Continental Army suffers a decisive defeat during the Siege of Yorktown with the death of George Washington, marking a severe blow to the American movement for Independence, which ultimately led to the abolishment of Washington's Rebellion." I stated, matter-of-factly.

"Quite accurate. Thank you, Mister Lamperouge." the teacher coughed slightly, probably surprised that I knew the answer and very much annoyed at this, I smiled smugly and looked towards my brother, while lightly tapping my elbow. Me, Lelouch and Suzaku developed a form of sign language, touching one's elbow meant that we were faced with deception or hypocrisy, the latter being true in this case. Lelouch's lips curved slightly at this, tapping his ear twice, this was short for "Hear, hear.", which meant that you agreed with the first person.

I glanced to my right and noticed that a young woman with crimson hair was looking at us out of the corner of her eye, and glancing away as soon as she noticed I was doing so, I thought it peculiar at first but I was getting used to women noticing me more and more, possibly due to my natural grace and royal features. After class I asked Lelouch about the girl and he didn't seem to notice or know her, so I decided to ask Rivalz, one of my few friends at Ashford Academy about her, his answer was of course flippant, he somehow got the idea that I was interested sexually in the girl, I thought this was ridiculous, but noticed that she was rather attractive with her red hair and striking blue eyes, although I did notice some Japanese features about her, I decided to not press matters any further.

* * *

"Lulu, Leo, why did you guys skip classes again, you guys would probably be top of your class if only you applied yourselves more!" said Shirley, the cheerful orangette that seemingly bore no worries. I silently nodded to her and she knew better than to continue with her scolding, I found it amusing that she scolded her dear Lulu, the person that she fell in love with sometime in the past, but I didn't understand why she did the same to me, I could clearly see her love was monogamous so I was quite confused.

"Madame President, would you please remind Shirley over here that we are in no way, shape or form even close to failing our classes and we are entitled to skip as long as we meet our quota?" I directed towards Milly and she understood my hidden intentions.

"Oh but why won't Lelouch be more studious, scholarly and deliberate, how could I ever proclaim my love to someone who is not as erudite as myself?" Milly said in her best damsel in distress voice. I chuckled lightly and Shirley turned beet red, hugged herself tightly and said softly:

"Madame President, you didn't have to be so mean and neither did you, Leo..." I threw a slightly apologetic smile towards Shirley and glanced at Lelouch, he didn't seem fazed at all, and I couldn't help but wonder if he truly is oblivious to the attentions of the opposite sex.

"Where do you guys go to anyway? When you skip class, I mean." Shirley inquired, and I thought about all the chess matches me and Lelouch won, back-to-back, both figuratively and literally, with the help of Rivalz as our promoter, and the money we earned in order to take care of ourselves and Nunnally's special needs, and the leftovers that went to the Ashfords, following their fall from grace.

"Somebody has to put the food on the table..." I answered honestly, it seemed to irk Shirley even more, and she gave me and Lelouch a sad look, but didn't say anything more, she knew very well that our parents weren't here to take care of us, and that we lived alone, except for Sayoko, the maid and Nunnally's caretaker.

* * *

I am once again woken up by something other than my own will, I can guess that it's still the middle of the night, but the club house's alarm is ringing in my ears, I struggle to get up and then the door comes tumbling down, one look at the intruders and I cringe, I instantly recognise the first person... Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One.

* * *

I kneel as instructed, to my right is my brother, also kneeling.

"So you have survived..." The deep voice of Charles zi Britannia echoes throughout The Imperial Court, the nobles around us still do not know who we are because we had never been shown in the court, although we met Charles on a number of times, he considered our mother his favourite and perhaps his only true wife.

"We are true Britannians, that is what we do, we survive, and we prosper!" Both I and Lelouch state, trying to hide our true, undisputed hatred towards the man standing above us, but we both understand that doing his bidding is best for now, at least for Nunnally's sake. One wrong move and she is gone, forever.

"Very well. Rise, my sons! (at this the crowd gasps and raises from their seats, the only ones not disconcerted at this being Cornelia and Schneizel, who keep a straight face during the hearing) How are you going to show me the true might of the Empire? How are you going to show me you are worthy of a hero's welcome?!" Charles roared, the crowd once again gasping and retreating a few inches from where they were previously. Neither I, nor Lelouch flinched even slightly at his words, this was no time to show weakness, here we could show our true worth, not hide behind some mask like the nobles usually do.

"We wish to walk the path of war" I stated "and show our enemies that we are to be feared" Lelouch continued "we wish no special treatment" I said sternly "and we will show the world our true might!" Lelouch bellowed.

"You are to begin your training at the Britannian Military Academy at West Point. You leave two weeks from now." The Emperor ordered.

* * *

I was infuriated, nobody would be left to stay near Nunnally and ensure she was safe, the only way left for me and Lelouch to protect her would be to make ourselves useful, and what better way to do that than entertain the Emperor's favourite theory – Darwinism, the strong prosper while the weak struggle to live in their shadow.

At least Sayoko would remain in her position as Nunnally's maid, that made things slightly safer, apparently she managed to incapacitate about fifteen members of Bismarck's squad and he was so impressed he let her keep the job, even though she was just "a number", I always failed to refer to them as such, they had and would always be Japanese to me. The Knight of One himself wasn't terribly concerned with numbers and such, he saw them all as people and he didn't care much for war either, he thought it to be a last resort, to this day I still don't know why he was chosen by Charles as his first in command, this only made him grow in my eyes, the man was actually respectable, not something that could be said about 90% of people that had seen the inside of the Imperial Court.

The following two years were to be spent in the service of the military, 16 weeks in Basic Training and 32 weeks at The Point, leaving only 4 weeks of our first year free, 4 weeks during which we were allowed to visit Nunnally. That thought hurt the most, so much time spent away from our favourite object of affection, our sister. The following year would be spent probably under one of our elder brothers' command, spending our time in the service.


	3. Chapter III Basic

AN:

I know I said interesting things would be happening in this one, but Basic was not the time when Lionel and Lelouch should show their strength, in the next one I'll delve deeper into the relationship that the two brothers have in war, and how Lionel helps Lelouch strategize because he understands the human factor better. I've added horizontal lines when the scene changes in order to make the story less confusing. The drill instructor creed is taken from the US Military, and adapted to the Empire, and kudos to who knows where Hartman's character is from.

* * *

I began to wonder what Milly and the others were doing back in Japan, our departure was terribly sudden and rushed, nobody was supposed to see us leave, but I am sure Milly figured out that the Emperor had found us and was probably making up some sort of story about our Houdini act. In the eyes of the world, the three vi Britannias were still dead and it was to remain that way until we had proven ourselves worthy of our princely titles. In a way, I was glad that I could continue living as a civilian, even if it wouldn't be long lived. A select number of people knew, of course, that we were alive, Bismarck and his personal squad, all of our half-brothers and the few that were allowed to witness our first court hearing, all of them sworn to secrecy until further notice, even if most of them had no idea who we were, apart from being long-lost princes of the Holy Britannian Empire.

I was lying in bed, looking at the sharp lines of the august lines of the ceiling, the architecture of Aries Villa never failed to impress but what had transpired years ago in my own home made me feel uneasy about it. I could hear the fast thumps of approaching feet gunning towards my door, I raised myself up on the bed and held my breath, the door flew open and I could see a cloud of pink entering my room, I sighed in relief.

"Brother Lionel! I knew you weren't dead!" came the voice of an euphoric Euphemia, I chuckled slightly at the choice of words in my mind and Euphemia jumped into my arms, knocking me back on my bed.

"I see you haven't changed, Euphie. How have you been, sis?" I asked affectionately, hugging her firmly at the same time.

"We've missed you and Lelouch and Nunna so much, but sister Cornelia and I were certain that you were still out there, we never stopped looking for you! How come they couldn't find you and Lelouch for so long?" Euphemia inquired but was answered from the doorway by our sister Cornelia:

"Euphie, why don't you say hello to Lelouch and Nunnally as well, I am sure they are dying to see you again, we will continue this discussion later." Euphemia vanished from sight quickly thereafter and I was left alone with my favourite sister. Lelouch always had Schneizel to mentor him, I had Cornelia. She taught me everything from how to defend myself to battlefield tactics. I approached her and hugged her firmly, she visibly relaxed into my embrace.

"You know, you don't have to send Euphie away just to have me all to yourself." I said, slightly amused at my own words, carrying a smug smile on my face.

"But... it's been so long." answered Cornelia, softly, and I raised an eyebrow at her response, I had expected her to rebuke me sharply but I knew Cornelia only acted this way around me and Euphemia, everywhere else she carried the same stern and perfect posture and expression.

* * *

The remainder of the two weeks was spent meeting some of our other brothers, Lelouch was happy to see Schneizel again and Nunnally was happy to see Clovis, some of the others did not even show up, I didn't particularly mind and neither did Lelouch. The following morning we would depart for Basic, both of us hated the idea and I had fears that my brother's physical prowess, or rather his lack of it would lead him into some unfortunate situations, I shook the thoughts from my head, I'd do anything to help him get through Basic.

* * *

We were directed to the barracks, once inside we could see rows of bunk beds and recruits already changing into light blue uniforms. We found our designated bunk and I settled into the top one, me and Lelouch knowing each other far too well concerning trivial matters such as this, I noticed a tall, blonde teenager about my age approaching us slowly, he introduced himself in an almost too friendly manner and I noticed that he had noble mannerisms, I wondered if he was perhaps the son of a Duke or Margrave and if we had been introduced before being sent to Japan.

"I'm Gino Weinberg, pleased to meet you!" he cheerfully exclaimed.

"My name's Lelouch Lamperouge and this is my brother, Lionel. Nice to meet you, Gino." I could sense a tinge of curiosity and a slight annoyance in the tone of my brother's voice, he never liked people who were too friendly, they usually had ulterior motives but I didn't feel any weird vibes coming from this Gino character so I decided to play along, at least for now.

* * *

We were standing at attention in rows of ten, Lelouch was to my right and Gino stood to my left, a well built man in his mid 30s, with sandy brown hair cut short and a fierce gaze marched in front of the platoon.

"I will assist each individual in their efforts to become a highly motivated, well disciplined, physically and mentally fit soldier, capable of defeating any enemy on today's modern battlefield.

I will instill pride in all I train. Pride in self, in the Army, and in Country.

I will insist that each soldier meets and maintains the Army standards of military bearing and courtesy, consistent with the highest traditions of the Holy Britannian Empire.

I will lead by example, never requiring a soldier to attempt any task I would not do myself.

But first, last, and always, I am a Britannian Soldier. Sworn to defend the Empire against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

I am a Drill Sergeant.

I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior Drill Instructor, from now on you will speak only when spoken to and the first and the last words out of your filthy sewers will be 'Sir', do you maggots understand that?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

"Bullshit, I can't hear you, sound off like you got a pair!"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" this time much louder.

"If you ladies leave my island, if you survive Basic Training, you will be a weapon, you will be a minister of death praying for war, but until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human, fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on eights, nines, tens or elevens. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Army. Do you maggots understand that?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" This is going to be a long four months, I thought, trying to ignore the saliva that was coming at us from Hartman's mouth.

* * *

"Recruit Lamperouge, drop and give me 20!"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" both me and Lelouch jumped down and executed 20 push-ups, each and every one of mine being flawless, Lelouch already tiring after the first 15.

"What is this? Bring your sister to work day? Explain yourself, Recruit Lamperouge!" Hartman screamed towards Lelouch.

"Sir, this recruit has a brother, Sir!" Lelouch answered, careful not to refer to himself in the first person, Basic was designed to turn us from human beings to professional killers, all of our personality should be left behind.

* * *

"So... why'd you guys join Basic anyway? You don't seem like the soldier type." Gino asked me.

"You can't attend West Point until you finish Basic." I answered quickly, all the PT had even tired me, I couldn't imagine how Lelouch would be feeling right about now. I heard the sound of what I imagined would be someone kicking someone else and grunts of pain on the other side of the barracks, I hurried over there with Gino right behind me.

"What's the meaning of this?" I asked, letting some of my true position leak through my tone. Four recruits were stomping on one of the others, they cleared out and I could see the brown hair of the recruit that had been assaulted.

"He's just an eleven, get off my back." I heard one of the assailants mutter, and I had just about enough, I elbowed the speaker in the solar plexus, instantly bending him forward and I punched him in the throat, with just enough strength to incapacitate him for a short while, the others in the group quickly dispersed at the sight of my obvious CQC skill.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, lending my hand to the fallen recruit, he raised his eyes and I could see his face, I recognised him immediately.

"Suzaku, is that you?" I asked.

"Lionel? What are you doing here?!" he seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

"So... you guys know each other?" Gino asked rhetorically. I just threw him my best "Are you serious?" look.

* * *

"I don't get why you joined the Britannian Military, they were the ones who massacred and enslaved your people, your father died because of them! How could you join your enemy?" Lelouch asked, frustrated that Suzaku had gone down this path.

"Give him a break, Lelouch, you know how Suzaku is, he has that weird sense of righteousness, always trying to accomplish his goals through non-contemptible means, he probably wants to change the system from within. I don't agree with him but I understand his point of view." I said. I understood the way people thought, I could easily see through facades and lies, my friends were no exception.

* * *

We graduated Basic with flying colours, the four of us at the top of our class, we really got to know Gino better and I considered him a friend now and the fact that we could meet Suzaku again made me like Basic far more than I should have, Lelouch improved physically but he could still be considered average, he barely passed PT. Me and Suzaku had the highest scores in PT, Lelouch lead in the theoretical department, he was in the 0.01 percentile, I wasn't far behind in the 0.05 and Suzaku and Gino were in the 2 percentile. KMF simulation is where I shined, I ostensibly got my piloting skills from our mother, I operated the simulators at 99.5% efficiency, though I figured that I could have gotten 100% in a real KMF, Suzaku and Gino were very talented at KMF as well, with 95%, though Lelouch wasn't too bad either, at 93%, we could all be considered aces and with some training we would be at Knights of Rounds levels, I made a note to ask Bismarck for some tips after training at The Point.

From Basic we were sent almost directly to The Point, both of the facilities were in New Amsterdam, also called New York by the former populace of America, they lost to the Dutch here and the Gottwalds were named Margraves of New Amsterdam, the city also got the unofficial nickname of The Orange, due to its Dutch heritage, the fact that the Gottwalds also had lots of orange plantations and it was a main part of the family business didn't help one bit. I knew this because one of my mother's Royal Guard used to be rather friendly with me, a tall man with turquoise hair, I seem to recall his name was Jeremiah but mother always called him Jerry which never failed to annoy him.

We were in need of a security escort to get around New Amsterdam and as backup at The Point, the academy wasn't as strictly guarded as Fort Albany, where we went through Basic, so extra security was of utmost importance. I decided to appoint Jeremiah as the head of security and he was overjoyed when he found out me and my brother were alive, he was preparing to depart for Area 11 when I asked for him and he was all too happy to join me and Lelouch as the main person in charge of our well-being. He brought along two of his subordinates, one Kewell Soresi, a tall man with light brown hair and blue eyes and one Villetta Nu, a woman that I found rather attractive, from her exotic skin to the silver of her hair and her cat-like golden eyes, I wondered what she would be like if I got to know her better. I, unlike my brother, always had an interest in women but never got the chance to meet one suitable to my tastes, although there was a time when I shared some intimate moments with Milly, but we both decided it was more of a new experience and not something that would last.

When we arrived at The Point, the Superintendent, Lieutenant General Caslen, seemed to be informed that me and Lelouch were of high noble descent, but he wasn't aware of our imperial heritage. When we arrived, Lt. Gen. Calsen tried to lead us to our quarters, but we respectfully declined and offered Major Nu the rooms, opting to stay in the barracks instead. I missed the company of Suzaku and Gino, but I knew that we would meet them again soon enough.


	4. Chapter IV The Lion's Pride

I felt that I rushed some things a bit, especially what exactly happened in Africa, but those are quite unimportant events and I can't wait to introduce C.C. and Kallen, the main romantic interests in the story, as a warning I may include some lemons in future chapters, I am considering doing those as separate chapters and submitting them under a different story parameter.

Next chapter they are going to receive Geass, props to who guesses what Lionel's Geass will be.

* * *

'Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.' - Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"

The academy was the home of scholarly discipline, we were to study both normal, civilian knowledge, as well as foreign languages and the history of warfare. Our mentor was to be General Andreas Darlton, one of Cornelia's subordinates, a brutal looking man with a diagonal scar running along his face, I was sure that he could have had it removed with the advancements in medical science that Britannia possesses but it did give him an advantage on the battlefield, at least when not in a KMF. At The Point we would also delve deeper into the art that is knightmare combat and exercise our talent in both real, live combat and strategy through the Rating Games.

Rating Games were battles between teams of cadets, where the main objective was to capture points and hold them, in order to gain resources and control over the battlefield, the points were divided between towers, spawn points and auxiliaries. Holding a tower would be the hardest and would raise your score by a considerable margin. Holding a spawn point would ensure that your army respawns further up the battlefield if they get taken out and auxiliaries, such as tall buildings, forests, bridges or other important landmarks would give you the opportunity to either hold strategic locations on the map or ambush the enemy forces. Apart from the points, there are enemy generals and other officers that are located throughout the map that can be taken out, you can gather insignias from "dead" enemies by touching their bodies after you have taken them out and these insignias can be used to call of air strikes or heavy weaponry, no team has an infinite amount of resources, if a team mate dies, an officer is killed or if you don't have control over the battlefield, your resources will slowly bleed out, when you reach 0 resource points or when your leader is killed, you automatically lose the match. The leader is situated inside the main base. The leader and other officers are NOT live players, they are so-called NPCs, they are artificial intelligence that acts accordingly, you cannot lure out an officer from his base of operations, meaning you can bring it down upon their heads if you so wish. Each team is assigned a number of currency points, with which they can buy equipment at the start of the match, this is highly important because some teams will choose to go on the offensive while others would not and some teams would rather buy hacking equipment and get into their enemies' communication lines. No knightmares are allowed in the Rating Games, they are based purely on individual skills of the combatants and of the respective team captains and how they choose to use their troops and their currency points.

Lelouch and I were to work together under the Dragons Army's banner, where my brother was to be captain, and I second in command. Our first bout was highly disadvantageous for the Dragons Army. We were to fight one of the senior teams of the academy, that had more members in its roster and more currency points to account for them, we were expected to fail but Lelouch was grinning in an evil manner at the idea.

"Men, we are all expected to fail this challenge, our enemy thinks he has already won, well I will tell you different. It is precisely this fact that gives us an advantage. 'Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.' " Lelouch stated fiercely, with a confidence I had rarely seen in a leader before, I could see the violet in his eyes burning with the desire to win.

"It is only when you are fully confident in your ability to win, brother, when you start quoting Sun Tzu." I said, eager to hear what brilliant plan he had concocted for us this time.

"That I am, Lionel. And this is our plan." Lelouch began explaining to us the intricacies of his tactics.

* * *

Whereas most captains would use their currency for armour and weapons, Lelouch had a different mentality, he decided to invest most of our currency on fast vehicles. The main idea was to rush the locations of the enemy bunkers and capture them quickly, foregoing the capture of towers or respawn points. Most of our team had no idea what to expect and me and my brother did not want to divulge our plan just yet, we weren't sure how trustworthy our team mates were. I was co-captain and appointed five other sub-officers, each leading their own squad of 4, we were 27 cadets in total, the enemy, Salamander Army, had 60 cadets, and double our starting budget. We didn't have better weapons, and our armour was lightweight, but we were sure to be quick on the battlefield, Lelouch's plan was smart at first, but after I gave him the winning idea it was nothing short of brilliance, or insanity, however you looked at it.

* * *

"Go, go, go! Squad 3! Follow me!" I yelled perhaps a bit too loudly in my communicator and headed for the right flank, this was it. The people in the northernmost bunker had no idea what hit them and being the important strategic point that it was, the enemy was soon to counter-attack starting at this bunker, we quickly got into position. This bunker held most of the enemy's heavy weaponry, missiles and bombs, we knew this courtesy of the extra Lelouch spent on hacking their communications.

**Enemy Headquarters**

"Sir! The enemy is being overrun but they have rushed our northernmost bunker, we must get it back, what are your orders?" the adjutant addressed the captain.

"Send two squads at their position, I want all of the equipment returned to base immediately, we don't know how many times they are going to rush our bunkers." the captain responded sharply.

* * *

As soon as we heard the transport being stopped, we jumped out of the faux bombs and tanks, we had done it. The enemy was confused to say the least, 20 members of the enemy team was right at the heart of their base, they barely had 10 people to defend it here, the rest were out on the battlefield, we quickly dispatched of them and headed towards the leader's room, we had won.

"Lelouch, I told you they'd fall for it if you left four guards at the entrance to the bunker." I told him, proud that my end of the deal was paid up.

"You were right, Lionel. It creeps me out sometimes, but you are always able to read the minds of others around you. Good work." he thanked me, with a slight smile to his lips.

"Who would've thought the Salamander Army would fall for the classic Trojan Horse?" I asked, happy that our plan worked and slightly relieved that our team would not hate us for the rest of their lives, had the plan failed it would've been the most embarrassing loss in the history of the academy.

* * *

The win boosted us up the ladder, we were now in control of a senior team, the best team in the whole academy – The Black Knights. Here, Lelouch was happy to exercise some of his rather straight to the point tactics, we continued on to win all of the Rating Games that we'd participate in, our team was the best rated team in all of Britannia and officers around The Point already started complaining. "What can we teach these two boys? There is nothing that they do not already know, they should be spending their time where soldiers are dying due to incompetent commanders, not here in an academy!" was the new motto of the leadership here at The Point.

Not long after our winning streak at The Point, we were sent to Africa to fight against the E.U. under the command of our half-brother, Odysseus eu Britannia. Lelouch's brilliant tactical warfare combined with my flawless knightmare combat and understanding of the human mind lead us to great fame, Lelouch made it a point to have his new battalions a mix of Honorary Britannians and Britannians alike and our continuous success brought us numerous titles. We were both Generals. Lelouch was dubbed The Black Prince, leader of The Black Knights, somehow our reputation at The Point leaked as far as the African front. Due to my frequent appearance on the battlefield and the barren savannah of Africa, along with my given name, I was dubbed The Lion of Britannia and my squad came to be known as The Pride of Britannia.

Our father was content, we did not dare give him a reason to harm Nunnally and he was pleased, pleased that we wouldn't interfere in his plans. Clovis was getting overwhelmed by the sudden increase in terrorism in Area 11, so we would go there and teach them a lesson, something that didn't bother me in the slightest, as much as I hated the Empire, harming civilians would help no one, these were mere distractions for the Emperor, nothing more. Nunnally was to remain in the capital.

**May 2017 A.T.B. Viceroy's Palace**

I was striding down the massive corridors of the palace with long, deliberate steps, the people around us cowered away in fear and tried their best to fail at looking us in the eye, I was dressed in an opulent, vermilion uniform, closer to imperial clothes than military uniform. The silken shirt was of a bright golden colour, as well as the sumptuous cape on my back, embroidered with the head of a raging lion. My brother was dressed in a similar fashion, but the nuances of his clothes were all black, with golden and purple highlights, on his cape there was embroidered the figure of Lady Justice, her eyes were blindfolded, meaning that she was objective, justice would be met out without fear or favour, in her right hand she carried a set of scales, signifying that both the strengths of the case's support and opposition would be weighed before justice is dealt out, and in her left hand she wields a double-edged sword, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party. Lelouch was not unlike Lady Justice, I considered calling him Sir Justice a few times, but always failed to bring the idea to fruition, maybe when he starts wearing a costume with a mask, would be a nice nickname, I chuckled to myself imagining Lelouch in the situation, he didn't fail to notice.

"What is it now?" he asked, annoyed at my antics, I shrugged and shook my head from side to side, he grabbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, as if dealing with a small child.

We reached Clovis' office and startled his personal assistant that occupied an office right next to his own, it wouldn't seem that they were announced of our arrival. I grabbed the massive handle of the door and pushed firmly, letting Lelouch and myself inside over the protests of Clovis' assistant. When I entered, I overheard Clovis talking on the phone with one Mr. Reed, the walls were adorned with a multitude of paintings of people I recognised, probably painted by Clovis himself, he always had a knack for art.

"Lelouch, Lionel, what are you doing here, brothers? I did not expect you at all." The assistant that had followed us into the room seemed to calm down hearing this and excused herself out, I wasn't happy to see Clovis, he was very superficial and selfish.

"We were sent here by His Majesty to eradicate the remaining terrorist forces that have been plaguing Area 11 for so long, I'm curious as to why father hasn't given you a heads up but it doesn't matter now. We are going to be taking control of Area 11's military force until our task is completed, you will of course still have control over your own forces." Lelouch instructed Clovis, I couldn't imagine he was too happy at how we were barging in and taking control of his armies.

"But of course, brothers. I will acquire suitable accommodation for you right away -"

"That won't be necessary, we are staying undercover at Ashford Academy, our old place of residence, nobody knows how The Black Prince and The Lion of Britannia look like after all, we will certainly use this to our advantage." I cut Clovis off before he was able to voice his ideas.

"Prepared as always I see, very well. Lelouch. Lionel. I will see to my other responsibilities as Viceroy now." He waved us outside.

**On the way to Ashford.**

"Villetta, what other -"

My question was cut short by another car crashing into our limousine, I could see the flight of the shards of glass towards Villetta and I instinctively threw myself in front of them. I could feel the sharp pain of glass embedding itself into the skin of my back, I cursed through my teeth at the feeling.

"Protect Their Royal Highnesses at all costs!" I could hear Jeremiah all but shout into my ears, I looked into Lelouch's direction, he seemed to be all right, I was still holding on to Villetta and looking through the rear window of the limousine I could see the truck that had just rear ended us.

**In the aforementioned truck.**

"You idiot! Get out of the way!" A man with long dark hair and utility clothing shouted out, before pulling on the wheel of the vehicle to the left.

"No, not that way!" a young woman with spiky red hair and cerulean eyes yelled out.

* * *

"Are you guys okay?" I heard Lelouch ask as Jeremiah was pulling the big chunks of glass out of my back, fortunately they hadn't gone too deep.

"Yeah, it's only a flesh wound." I responded sarcastically, I had always been a fan of Monty Python's work.

I opened the door to the limo and saw the culprit truck, I walked towards it despite Jeremiah's urges for me to do otherwise.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I yelled towards the driver's cockpit, trying to find a way inside the truck, Lelouch was right behind me doing the same.

"I'll help you up." he offered and I complied, climbing on top of the truck and helping Lelouch do so as well. Suddenly, I could feel a pull on my subconscious, I can't exactly describe the feeling, but it feels like a sudden headache, I could hear the voice of a woman "Finally, I have found you." The truck reversed and me and Lelouch fell down into the truck.

"Did you just feel that?" I asked my brother, he looked at me with a startled expression and nodded. I noticed a contraption of some sort with tubes and and an interface on it, I wondered what it was and heard the sound of the cockpit connection opening, I saw a young woman with spiky red hair walking out and climbing an old Glasgow, I remembered her from somewhere but couldn't point it out exactly, one glance towards Lelouch and my suspicions were confirmed, he recognised her as well.

Lelouch called towards me, he had found one of the terrorist's communicators, he told me that he suspected they were heading for the old subway line, I nodded silently.

After a long drive I noticed the truck had stopped, I opened the door and saw a kick flying towards my face, I blocked it with my forearms and tugged down forcefully, this knocked the assailant to the ground and threw his helmet away, I gasped and removed my arms, it was Suzaku.

"Suzaku? How come we always meet under the most weird circumstances?" Lelouch asked inquisitively but we were interrupted by the sudden opening of the weird contraption, Suzaku jumped to place his face mask on Lelouch's face, who was closer and I held my breath but what came out was a gorgeous woman with bright almost green hair and golden eyes that looked to be about 18 years old, dressed in some form of strait jacket, I grimaced at the sight of something like this and couldn't help but wonder what she had done to deserve this. I was stopped short in my thoughts by the abrupt appearance of a squad of soldiers, I recognised their uniform right away, Clovis' Royal Guard.


	5. Chapter V It is I, Faust

Author's Note: This was a pretty short chapter, but I had an enormous amount of fun writing it, and personally I love Lionel's Geass, especially because he can use it on C.C. Why is that? Well... you'll see in the future.

On another note, I am looking for beta readers, so if you have what it takes and would enjoy doing something like that, P.M. me, I would be very grateful to you!

Please review and tell me what you think about my story so far, and if you have any suggestions for the future, I would like to go a different route with the way the World of C is treated and The Geass Order and such, my story is going to be totally different when compared to canon, I hope you guys will enjoy my ideas.

* * *

"Who are you then?"  
"I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good."  
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, _Faust: First Part _

* * *

"I am General Lionel vi Britannia, I command you to stand down at once!" I hissed, a feeling of unease came over me, whatever Clovis was trying to do with this woman was surely not something he was willing to share, certainly not with other members of the imperial family. This could get him disinherited, I thought. That would be the only explanation for mobilising his own forces and not asking for help from the military. I saw the officer reaching for his communicator and ushering his conversation with his superiors, I couldn't distinguish what he was saying, in the meanwhile Suzaku seemed to pick up on my uneasiness and stepped ever so slightly in front of me, he didn't change at all – always putting the well being of others in front of his own.

"I'm afraid no witnesses will be left alive, Your Highnesses!" the man cackled maniacally, sending a slight shiver through my spine, Suzaku asserted his position and lunged forward, trying to get the upper hand by ambushing the officer.

In a flash, I was thrown head-first on the damp floor of the subway, my ears felt like they were on fire and a loud hissing sound, not unlike a kettle that is boiling, was resounding deep in my eardrums. One furtive glance behind me and I noticed that the truck had exploded. I saw Lelouch straining to get up and I followed suit, promptly remembering the mysterious woman and picked her up bridal style. I hoped Suzaku was going to be fine, but we couldn't risk going back for him. I heard the sound of a gunshot, I grimaced, yearning to believe that what just happened was just my imagination.

* * *

"It's all your fault! All of this chaos, this massacre, Suzaku's dead 'cause of you!" Lelouch shrieked at the woman and for a second actually put trust in his words, not dismissing it for the temper tantrum that it was.

"That's enough! She is not to be blamed for this, it's not her fault Clovis is a psychopathic monster, we don't even know why she was being held captive!" I vociferated back at him, hoping to dispel some of the tension that had built up because of the recent events.

The clamour of soldiers could be heard approaching us, they were discussing whether or not this was the only exit through which we could have escaped, I could hear the screeching of an infant and then the abrupt end caused by the muffled sounds of silenced firearms, my face was beginning to lour permanently in light of novel events. I held my breath, to remain hidden was of utmost importance at the moment. My grimace increased when I heard the loud ringing of Lelouch's phone, followed in a trice by my own, I figured it was Villetta or Jeremiah checking up on our safety.

"What have we here? It seems the royal brats have appeared once more." the annoying voice of the officer echoed throughout what appeared to be an abandoned subway exit. "I hope you've made peace with your lives, because this is not happily ever after!" he squeezed the trigger slowly but my vision was abruptly covered by a familiar cloud of green, the woman had dived in front of me. "No, they must not die!"

I was now floating in a peculiar place, I could see no boundaries to this world but there was clearly a light source, I could not locate it. I looked around – emptiness. "Am I dead?" I heard myself ask but subconsciously, my mouth had not opened, nor could I have done so. I tried moving my limbs – they remained still. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my brother – our fates were linked even in death it seemed. My mind wandered to everything that could have been, and to none other than Nunnally, I was saddened by the sudden turn of events.

"You don't want it to end here, do you?" there came the voice of a woman, and I could picture the green haired martyr that had thrown herself in front of me. "You appear to have a reason for living. I propose a contract, in exchange for power, you must make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions – while living in the world of humans you will live unlike any other: a different providence, a different time, a different life, The Power of the King will condemn to you a life of solitude, are you prepared for this?" My purpose was now clear and I could hear myself saying the only thing plausible in a situation like mine "Yes. I hereby accept the terms of your contract." I imagined my brother did the same. In the blink of an eye I was once again in the ghetto, with the corpse of the girl lying limply in my arms.

Somehow I knew, I understood my power, "Geass" was the name I could feel deep inside my mind, I couldn't explain how, but I did. There were two distinct parts to my power, this was clear. One part was sensing what people desired underneath all the façades they built in order to hide themselves from the world, their needs, their wishes, their Apple of Eden if you will. The other part to my power was influence – I could change the desires of others, I could make them feel different emotions, I could tug at the strings that they deemed self-control. I did not know the limitations of my ability, but I could sense the desires of everyone around me in the abandoned structure, it was as if they were wearing them on their sleeves or painted plainly on their foreheads.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid of a pair of teenagers? Or have you realised that the only ones who SHOULD kill are the ones who are prepared to BE killed!" I heard Lelouch's beckoning towards the soldiers and one look towards his eyes told me to look away.

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, order you! ALL OF YOU! DIE!" I heard him command towards the soldiers, followed by them visibly slackening and slumping forwards, I could see the brilliant magenta of the Geass shining on the outsides of their irises and I saw how they lifted their weapons at their own heads, taking note of how uncoordinated they seemed while doing it. And simply, in just less than a second, I could no longer feel their deepest desires – they were gone, gone as the breath in their lungs or the warmth in their veins, I was sick to my stomach, urging myself not to vomit at the sight and what scared me the most was the fact that there was one person in the room whose desire I could not feel, and it wasn't the girl that had saved us. It was my brother's, Lelouch.


	6. Chapter VI Prometheus

Author's Note: Once again, fun chapter, and a long one at that. It took me a long time to figure out a suitable persona for Lionel but I'm really glad I took the time, I think the choice was adequate. Lionel is also quite flirtatious and is going to be looking in a lecherous way at beautiful women, so don't expect otherwise. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

"There was never a good war, or a bad peace."

Benjamin Franklin

* * *

We were brought two Sutherlands by Jeremiah, IFFs disabled as per Lelouch's request. I had an idea of what was going on through my brother's head but didn't know what to make of it, what would follow will be either the end of us or our brother Clovis, needless to say I didn't care much for his fate, at least not after what he had done not hours prior. Putting a stop to the Shinjuku massacre quickly became our number one priority and we asked Jeremiah and Villetta not to get involved, we didn't want to subject them to the consequences lest we failed.

"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories." I quoted, always a fan of The Art of War.

"And know the enemy we do, Lionel." Lelouch said with a cackle, something that I had gotten used to.

We took some communicators from the dead members of the Royal Guard and hacked the enemy IFF signal with ease, Clovis was never one to think out his battle plans, especially not when his only resistance would be civilians who haven't eaten a good meal in years and who've been living in poverty, in the ghettos. We caught wind of communications from the terrorists and moved across the battlefield, the girl in the Glasgow was being followed by four Sutherlands and she was missing her left arm. Lelouch instructed me to help her out, to clear way for the KMF transport that was passing by, I complied and headed towards her location.

I caught sight of her and skilfully sniped the landspinners of two of the KMFs, I used my slash harkens to grab hold of a nearby building and swung down, kicking the factsphere of the KMF to my right, effectively rendering it useless, and shooting the energy core of the one to my left with my side-arm. The Glasgow somehow managed to take out the other two and spoke through the closed communication line.

"Who are you? Why did you help me?" she inquired, with a fiery tone in her voice, I smiled at the feisty tone in her voice and my Geass picked up a sense of determination towards one Naoto and his dream, a Japan where people could have good lives even if they were not Britannians. I found it quite terrifying how easily I understood people's motives, and how easily I could dig for information if I wanted to, Geass was surely a very inhumane and malicious power.

"Follow my orders, if you want to win." I heard my brother said through the com line.

Lelouch assigned each of us with his favourite chess designations, I found it intriguing that he had given the girl in the Glasgow the codename Q-1, suggesting that she was the most powerful piece on the field, I figured I wasn't just a chess piece to him, which took a weight off my shoulders, so to speak.

What followed was a one-sided victory, courtesy of Lelouch's deft commands and flawless tactics, Clovis didn't stand a chance, but at one point in the battle, an unidentified KMF appeared and started taking out our troops, I was sent to tip the scales in our favour once more.

The KMF in question was a prototype model from what I gathered, 5th or 6th Generation, it was a brilliant white with golden highlights, it moved way faster than the standard Sutherland and I could tell that the pilot was very skilled himself. I didn't dare to take him head on, even with my flawless piloting I didn't stand a chance against such a monster machine and I could sense no ill intent from the pilot, his greatest desire was his wish for forgiveness, for murdering his own father no less. Even though I wouldn't like what I was supposed to do next, I decided it was a necessity so I used my Geass, thinking of the moment he had taken his father's life, I could almost see it myself, feeling what he was feeling but in a much reduced dose, I didn't relate to the sentiment. The pilot almost went insane, he started shooting continuously until his weapon overheated, laying waste to the surrounding buildings, which gave me the opportunity to disarm and disable his KMF, things were going according to Lelouch's plan.

I was instructed to regroup with the rebels and scout their true motives, I dreaded this power but complied, I knew this would be necessary in order to take down the Empire, I didn't hold the same mentality as my dear friend Suzaku.

On my way to the others, the woman that had been shot for our sake was starting to wake up, I had taken her in my cockpit because I still felt her desire and it was an interesting one at that, it certainly changed the way I would treat her from there on out.

"Well... good morning! How was your nap? And how exactly did you survive a bullet to your cranium, if you wouldn't mind me asking." I addressed her, jovially.

Her response was cold, without feeling, and I could sense the sharpness in her voice, but she selected her words well, and I noticed from the way she talked that she couldn't have been as old as she looked. "It is quite simple, I cannot be harmed by simple means."

"So... what would you prefer to be called?" I asked, not requesting a name, that would be all too useless.

"You can call me C.C." She answered, seemingly aware of the way in which I had asked for her name, I saw the genesis of a smile on her lips and marvelled at her flawless features and perfect, albeit a bit too fair, skin.

"See anything you like?" she asked me, teasingly.

"And what if I do? Are you going to be taken up on that offer?" I pushed, hoping she would pull, I always loved a good old bout of flirt.

"Depends... do you think you have what it takes, boy?" She asked, and I lost some of my initiative at the way her words rebuked all of my hopes at an intimate relationship with the girl, or rather woman, she probably outlived me by a few hundred of years by how she carried herself.

"I guess not. It was worth a try though, you do seem rather fun at first glance." I continued, determined to at least have some fun with her, she seemed fairly laid-back.

"And where has Lelouch gone?" she asked.

"Probably killing Clovis and making his officers forget the past day, would be my guess." I replied, conscious of the fact that I had reached my destination, I could already see the captured Sutherlands still rounding up survivors of the massacre to take them out safely.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" I heard the annoying voice of a young man blaring through the speakers and I cringed at what his deepest desire was – the suffering of each and every Britannian. I could see he was very shallow minded, to put innocent civilians in the same pot as that psychopathic bastard that is the Emperor.

"He's with us, Tamaki, lower your gun." I heard the voice of the fiery redhead through the speakers of the red Glasgow. "Thanks, by the way." she offered. "If it wouldn't be too much to ask, who are you and your friend anyway?" she inquired, with a hopeless tone.

"We're long lost princes of the Britannian Empire that survived the enslavement of Japan and are now rebelling against our father because he wouldn't buy us the new cars we wanted." I said, sarcastically, knowing that at least the half-truth I included wouldn't be enough to make my statement any less ridiculous.

"I get it, I'm not ready to give up my identity either, no hard feelings." she stated, and I didn't fail to notice the fact that she was giggling while saying this.

"This is goodbye, for now." I said and left quickly.

* * *

"I found out that Clovis stumbled upon us while on an errand, he decided that he should rat us out, in spite. Professedly, he had the childish misconception that we were staying hidden just to embarrass him publicly when we do, in fact, come out of hiding. I found it utterly ridiculous. He had no information on the death of Empress Marianne, though, he pointed towards Schneizel or Cornelia." Lelouch said in a lifeless tone.

"He really was a rambling fool, wasn't he? I would say 'good riddance', but he's still our brother..." I sighed.

* * *

"Let's all welcome back the Lamperouge brothers, apparently they are back from their studies at Cambridge!" The home room teacher exclaimed, eagerly.

I took my usual seat, which had been left unoccupied all this time, I found this highly peculiar, it had been two years after all. I liked the idea of staying undercover as a student, it provided great protection in regards to assassination attempts, it protected our identity, as we still hadn't been announced publicly and it gave us an excuse to bury Jeremiah and Kewell in paperwork, I chuckled at the thought.

* * *

As I was walking through Ashford Academy's gardens, I noticed the familiar crimson of my favourite new acquaintance, I couldn't help but stare at the frailness that she showed at school, compared to the provocative pilot's suit that she had on in Shinjuku. I found her intriguing, and quite appealing, her body was marvellous, with her long, supple, legs that curved into a delicious bottom, followed by a slim waist and delicate shoulders, even from behind she was having an effect on me, something that couldn't be said about most women I'd met before. I found myself calling after her, and she turned around to meet my gaze, I licked my lips in anticipation as I glared in those beautiful, cerulean eyes. I soon reminded myself why I had called after her and dredged my voice.

"Hi! My name's Lionel Lamperouge. You are Kallen Stadtfeld, correct?" Lelouch had devised a ploy - we would keep this Kallen character close. The easiest way to do this was to exploit the fact that she wasn't taking part in any school activities, we'd invite her in the Student Council. We couldn't be sure if she was a friend or foe. Her actions in Shinjuku proved just how skilled a pilot she was and we obviously wanted her on our side.

"Yes. Can I help you?" She asked, in a feeble voice, I almost felt bad for how she had to act out her days at the academy so she wouldn't reveal her secret identity. The whole thing felt way too Batman for my tastes.

"Yes, you can actually, just follow me, you'll find out when we get there." I smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her firmly after me, taking note of how soft her skin was, this was highly abnormal for KMF pilots, we all had callouses in some place or another, this just showed that she didn't have much air time in KMFs, making the show at Shinjuku even more impressive than it had been.

"Whaaa? Let go of me." she tried protesting but didn't pull her hand away.

We quickly reached the clubhouse and after making our way in the whole of the student council congratulated her as the new member of the council. Rivalz produced what looked to be an expensive bottle of Dom Pérignon, the finest French champagne, followed by the demur of Shirley, she wasn't a big fan of breaking rules. The bottle flew through the air, passed back and forth, from Rivalz to Lelouch, and then to me. Pop! The cork went flying towards Kallen's face, a threat easily disposed by a quick shuto – a strike with the blade of the palm, I winked at the obvious hole in the weak girl façade and she was sure to catch my hidden meaning. A steady stream of the expensive golden nectar shot out from the bottle, straight onto the redheads head, I stifled my amusement – she looked like a cat that had just failed in escaping its master's shower.

It was my fault after all, so I brought a change of clothes, some of Sayoko's spares, to her while she was still showering, I knocked on the door two times and was promptly let in.

"I'm sorry about what happened, I should have been more careful. I've brought you some spare clothes." I apologised.

"It's okay. Could you bring me my purse?" I had a hint about what that little pink purse contained and it had quite some weight on it for something so small, I handed it to her and she grabbed my hand, pulling tightly.

"Was it you in Shinjuku?" she asked, she apparently recognised my voice and the wink I had gave her earlier didn't help my cause in the slightest. I heard the sheathing of metal, a knife, I realised.

"Kallen, if it was indeed me, do you think that you can harm me with a pocket knife? Even if it were so, what good would that accomplish?" I provoked her, knowing full well that both my questions were rhetorical. I didn't dispose of the same grandiloquent vocabulary as my brother, so I resorted to different means of persuasion, trying to appeal to others' sense of right and wrong.

"Maybe we can continue this discussion another time, stay alert for now, Q-1." I added and she let go out of my hand. Just as I was preparing to turn around and leave, I noticed the shower curtain was splayed open, I was treated to the delicious sight of a naked Kallen, I swallowed emptily and she seemed to notice my stare, her face was aghast, I stifled my obvious interest and offered "You don't have anything to be ashamed of, just trust me on that." which only seemed to flush her cheeks further. I took that as my cue to leave and quickly made myself scarce.

* * *

"That woman is driving me insane!" I heard my brother cry to himself. It's must be C.C. again, I thought. If only they would just accept each other already, they were perfect matches for each other but neither dared admit it.

"You ought to be taking it easy on her, you know. All she wants is a friend. The way I see it, she'll have two by the end of this fiasco." I revealed, my Geass already told me what was going on inside her mind, I was initially quite surprised about the realisation.

"There is no way that is going to happen!" Lelouch hissed but I knew better, she was slowly chipping away at his mask.

* * *

"My lord. I regret to inform you that you have not been chosen as the new Viceroy, a representative of the Empire is on his way as we speak." Jeremiah said, formally.

"Jerry, I thought after what we've been through in Africa, you'd call me by my given name." I said, always eager to poke at his strict personality.

"I respectfully disagree – there is no way I could have known that we were infiltrating a brothel!" he cried out in shame, I was wearing a Cheshire grin.

"That didn't stop you from staring at those surprisingly attractive, and possibly surprisingly expensive, women." I continued, I loved messing with my subordinates, especially Jeremiah."Especially because you're used to seeing Lady Villetta every day." Villetta Nu had gained her life-long dream of receiving a noble title, she was now a Baroness due to her service in "The Motherland" as the locals called the continent, shortly thereafter she swore allegiance to the vi Britannia line.

I could see Jeremiah visibly fluster under my gaze and decided to stop for the day. "Thank you for the heads-up, Jeremiah, but Lelouch had already deduced that Nelly would be sent to govern Area 11 in Clovis' place." I said.

"How can you refer to a General of the Empire in such a way!" Jeremiah was baffled at my informality.

"She's my big sister too, don't forget that, Jerry." She was after all, my favourite sibling apart from Lelouch and Nunnally.

"Ah, of course, please forgive me, Lionel." he finally relented.

* * *

"So... how are we going to convince Kallen's merry band of misfits to join our cause? " I asked my brother. "And hopefully exclude that nincompoop, halfwit of a dolt, Tamaki." The guy had probably been brought along for comical relief, but he managed to destroy one of our captured Sutherlands by tripping on a fallen street lamp. It was stressing me to find enough words that meant "fool" in order to adequately describe him.

"Elementary, my dear Lionel. 'I thought you of all people would understand' " he quoted my favourite catchphrase "I am going to become a masked vigilante by the name of Zero" he said, and paused, dramatically "and you are going to help me, Prometheus." he said, his tone malefic.

"The titan who time and time again defied the gods, the god who created the humans from clay and gave them fire, enabling progress and civilization – the champion of mankind. Fitting." I noticed Lelouch reaching into a duffel bag and handing the result to me. A Guy Fawkes mask. "You have everything planned out, don't you?" I asked, to which Lelouch replied with a maniacal chuckle.


	7. Chapter VII Desire

Author's Note: Wow... it was hard not to turn this into a lemon, please tell me if you would enjoy that sort of writing, I'm trying to be taken seriously and was afraid that lemons would degrade my work, but man was it fun to write this chapter. What do you think Lelouch's plan is?

* * *

"To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves."

Federico García Lorca - "Blood Wedding"

"Sex is the consolation you have when you can't have love."

Gabriel García Marquez

* * *

Powerful stage reflectors were illuminating from behind me and Lelouch, or should I say Zero, from our spectator's points of view it would seem that we were a pair of silhouettes in an ocean of light.

"Let me ask you a question – Why do you fight?" Zero asked, the distorter making his voice sound mechanical, cold, sending shivers down my spine.

Various responses were given, but the one I was interested in didn't disappoint me. "I fight to make Japan what my brother envisioned it to be." Kallen stated fiercely, the weakness act having disappeared.

"Very good, Q-1." Zero said. "As for the others – you are all wrong. Terrorism is merely a distraction, preying on the weak is despicable. Britannians are not your enemy, but Britannia itself!" Zero proclaimed with a raise of his left hand.

"Who are you?" I heard Ohgi asking.

"I am Zero, a judge and this is my sword for justice, Prometheus." He pointed towards me. My guise was extravagant, a dress of black, lavender and gold adorned every inch of my body, complete with a Guy Fawkes mask and a conical hat.

"Why should we follow these jokers anyway?" Tamaki asked in his usual annoying tone, I scowled under my mask.

"It is quite simple, really. I am the one who salvaged the situation in Shinjuku and most importantly, I am the one who ended Prince Clovis' miserable existence he called a life." Zero stated coldly, I could barely recognise the Lelouch I knew in those words. No. I did, but it pained me to admit it.

"And how is that enough? It was luck, beginner's luck!" Tamaki screamed.

"We suspected you would say that." I intervened. "I suggest a demonstration." The plan that Lelouch had devised this time was both ingenious and perhaps slightly nefarious, scratch that, definitely nefarious. I could already see the angel and the devil arguing on my shoulders, Nunnally and C.C., that is, but desperate measures had to be taken in order for our scheme not to be jettisoned.

With that, our little spectacle was complete, we used the trap doors hidden in the floor to dramatise our departure.

**Tokyo Settlement's Maximum Security Prison.**

It was my first time visiting an incarceration cell, I found that everything was metallic – the floors, the walls, the doors. I found this unnerving. The place had a stone cold air about it, kind of like a hospital, but this is certainly not where wounds were treated, this is where they were produced, I thought to myself. The man guarding the door to cell 404 was reading a Compendium on Torture, and as the clear sound of my footsteps echoed closer through the empty corridor, I could see him pocket the handbook instantly and standing at attention. "General Britannia, sir!" He saluted formally. "At ease, soldier, aspiring to be an information gatherer?" I asked, that was the name the Empire had given to torturers, a bunch of ravenous beasts. "Yes, sir!" He said proudly and I scowled. "They don't pay enough for what you are supposed to do in that position, I'd look into different options if I were you." I stated, while punching in the correct authorisation in the wall console, entering the cell before he had any time to respond.

What I saw before me was atrocious. This is not how a knight should treat his damsel, I thought to myself, painfully aware of the childhood notions I had been instilled by my teachers.

Kallen was lying on the floor, in a strait jacket. The only feature of her that I could recognise was her signature red mane. I gently scooped her up and placed her in a sitting position on the bed, she gave me a menacing glare – she couldn't speak, her mouth was covered. I slowly slid the gag off her mouth, she was determined to burn holes through my skull with that look.

"I hope you have been treated well..." I said, my tone breaking up towards the last words, I struggled to keep back a tear, you could say I was sentimental.

"You insane, psychopathic, son of a bitch! I trusted you!" she said fiercely, I deserved every last word.

"You're right, I am all those and more." I agreed "But this is all part of the plan, don't despair." as I said this I started undoing her strait jacket, when I had finished he grabbed my neck in a rear naked choke, I could feel her squeezing with all her might, but I had inserted a palm next to my Carotid, so she couldn't complete the choke, I could feel her giving up slowly and I heard sobs coming from her hidden face, my heart clenched.

I threw an arm around her waist and with the other slowly brushed the locks of hair that had fallen around her ear lobe, I held her tight to me, I could feel the moisture coming from her eyes in the dip that formed between my clavicles. My nose picked up on a lovely scent, even in captivity she had managed to smell lovely – vanilla and coconut I thought and buried my nose deeper inside her hair.

"I'm sorry..." I muttered through closed lips, just loud enough so she could hear me.

"I could stay like this forever.", I heard my mind say... no, not my mind. Kallen. It was Kallen. "I could stay like this more..." I heard myself saying, not even processing cognitively any more, my brain was linked straight to my vocal chords and they wouldn't stop on account of me. Only then I realised how cheesy it sounded.

I moved the hand that had been gently palming the back of Kallen's head. I traced gently across her jawline and stopped at her chin, I slowly lifted it up to look in her eyes, that had taken an ultramarine hue due to her crying. Her face was flushed and I felt myself slowly moisten my lips.

I drew closer each second, willing to make the moment last longer. Our lips were finally millimetres away from each other, her eyes had closed on the way, and so had mine. I moved just slightly forward and I gently closed my lips over Kallen's own. As I was gently sucking in air and locking my lips with her, I could feel her tongue exit tentatively and took it upon myself to do the same, both our mouths were open now and we were fiercely wrestling, stopping briefly every few seconds to explore other areas that we felt were neglected. She tasted lusciously – a deep honey-vanilla combination. I could feel the warmth of her body pressed against me, and she moved up slightly, lifting her thighs around my waist, squeezing down passionately, I let my hands roam across her body – around her shoulders, holding her by the waist, stretching down towards her knees along the side of her femur. I didn't dare going further with my touches, I didn't dare touch one of her erogenous zone, heaven knows I would have wanted to, but neither me nor her would be able to stop and this wasn't the place I would want to consummate my feelings.

We broke the kiss in order to breathe properly, we were both panting and flushed. I tried breaking the silence "That was amazing... you are amazing." I stated honestly, she was truly irresistible, I started feeling even worse about Lelouch's plan to abduct her.

"I agree." she said through heavy intakes of air.

"I'm glad we agree, that you are amazing, I mean." I joked, she smiled at my irony and pushed me down on the bed, bunching up my shirt and pulling herself to me again, we dove into another mind-blowing kiss.

"You have some explaining to do." she said after breaking for air again.

"That I do, and you deserve an explanation..." I continued, explaining Lelouch's plan to her, also revealing my real identity to her, it had been a crucial part of the plan. She didn't seem surprised in the least, I found that amazing, she was nodding appreciatively along the way, she seemed to understand my brother's genius.

"So you're saying I should only be here for a couple of hours more." she stated, I nodded lightly.

"And you're not going to leave me all alone?" she asked in her most innocent, girly tone "You're not going to let the bad men hurt me..." she continued, making it sound like a statement, I chuckled and grabbed onto her waist once again. "There's no chance in hell. You're all mine, and I'm not letting go." I stated, in a tone that surprised even myself, I didn't think I had, excuse my language, the balls, to pull it off.


	8. Chapter VIII Judgement

Author's Note: Lionel's dream is the introduction to where I'm going with the World of C - you'll see.

I felt that the Lake Kawaguchi incident would resolve itself too easily with Cornelia's cooperation, so I dramatized the scene with Kusakabe. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

"Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream."  
― Martin Luther King Jr.

* * *

My feet were resting on dry limestone, the expanse before my eyes was endless, there was not a tree in sight, not a bush, not a mountain. The sky reflected flawlessly on the limestone rocks, I remember reading of something like this, the salt flats of Salar Uyuni, in former Bolivia, now Area 6.

I walked for a while, but I was not going anywhere, everything looked the same as far as the eye could see. I looked around one more time, but this time I saw a silhouette in the distance. I strolled towards it.

As I was finally starting to discern the person's features, it appeared just meters in front of me – it looked like a human male, but his eyes were closed and he had a distinctly pale complexion – almost dead-like. His hair was a light blonde, close to being white, complete with eyebrows and eyelashes of the same lifeless colour. It quickly became evident that this thing was not human.

It opened its eyes, this genuinely startled me. Its pupils were silver and enlarged, the surrounding circle, something akin to an iris, was of a familiar magenta colour – Geass I thought.

I looked it up and down – no clothes, yet no genitals, it seemed too surreal. I began trembling, there was something utterly terrorising about such a sight.

"We are coming for you, there is no escape." I heard it say, its voice cold and lifeless like the rest of its body, it reminded me a bit of C.C. but there was no comparison. The words 'there is no escape' echoed in my ears, what in the world was it talking about, why is it going after me? I asked myself, still quivering in fear.

* * *

"Lionel! Wake up!" I heard Kallen's voice calling me back to consciousness, I opened my eyes and saw her big blue irises looking up at me, I was drenched in sweat and shaking, Kallen's eyes were wide in shock and her eyebrows were raised, mouth slightly open and jaw slacked.

"I'm okay." I reassured her."Just a dream." I looked around the room, still the same metallic cell, Kallen didn't seem convinced.

"I'm oh-kay." I spelled it in syllables, she sighed, the tension leaving her shoulders.

"How long was I out?" I asked, somehow I had fallen asleep while cuddling with her, I wasn't surprised I did.

"Just under two hours, you looked so peaceful at first, I didn't want to wake you, but then you started shaking and sweating, you scared me a bit. Zero should be arriving any second now." she said, I nodded and stood up.

"Let's get you to the Interrogation Room, then." I offered her my hand and she took it, standing up from the bed.

* * *

I witnessed the Maser Vibration Sword cut through the steel of the walls with ease, we now had two top scientists working for our organisation, Lloyd Asplund and Rakshata Chawla. The latter had been easy to recruit, she had already been an affiliate of the Six Houses of Kyoto, so our organisation naturally appealed to her, as for Lloyd – well he was a tough nut, he was already under the pay check of Schneizel, so we had to make a few covert, untraceable, calls, Cornelia already knew about our plan, naturally, but informing Schneizel had been tough, but Lelouch insisted that he was trustworthy.

A neat, door-shaped rectangle of steel was cut by the prototype KMF, nicknamed Paladin, a suitable frame name for Prometheus. The KMF was a blend of gold, crimson and black, the head was styled like a knight's helmet, in medieval times. Around its waist lay blade-like sheets of steel that resembled a battle dress of old. The frame was riddled with ruby sensors that looked like precious stones and the symbol that was now synonymous with Prometheus – a golden phoenix with spread wings. The cockpit opened to reveal C.C., wearing my Prometheus disguise. "The cavalry is here." she declared. The lack of cameras in the Interrogation Room would ensure that nobody would figure out what exactly went down in that room.

* * *

Author's Note: Search mobile suit paladin tier 2 on google images. Imagine something like it.

* * *

"I trust the operation has been successful on the other side." I said, referring to the apparent kidnapping of Lelouch from the Viceroy's Palace.

"But of course." C.C. replied confidently, I gave her a smug smile and helped Kallen climb the cable that would lift us up to the cockpit.

* * *

We arrived at HQ safe and sound, nobody had followed us. I climbed down from my cockpit, now in my Prometheus persona. Kallen was now wearing the uniform that C.C. had brought along. Skin tight, orange and gold, it had a slight shine to it and on her eyes, a blindfold, transparent from the inside-out, of course. Knee-high boots made from a military-grade nanopolymer completed the guise. It looked skimpy but it would offer protection against the elements, against fire or sharp objects. On her back hung a long, red-bladed katana, I recognised the blade to be a Maser Vibration Sword, a weapon that can down a KMF and can be wielded by a foot soldier, quite terrifying indeed.

The public had dubbed us "Blades" due to our vindictive but just activities. All of our members now wore disguises, the officers all had maser swords custom made to their style as fighters, and wore blindfolds, subordinate members still held the same colour scheme, albeit a bit less fancy, and had visors instead of the blindfolds.

My outfit was now completely different to the Guy Fawkes mask I had donned when I first appeared. I was now clad in a suit of armour, not much different to my Paladin frame. My mask was very angular, like a medieval helmet, black with gold strings running along it's middle and along its 'jawline'. It also had a T-shaped slot in front of my eyes. I had a couple of golden swords on my shoulder pads and ribbons of white with red borders hanging all around my armour. A heavy chest plate, gauntlets, golden boots and leggings surrounded by the same kind of battle dress completed the ensemble.

* * *

Author's Note: Search "Judgement Tier 2" on Google Images, the first photo is perfect. If you haven't figured it out yet, I was a Vanilla WoW Player and loved this tier of armour, and it fits very well to my overall story.

* * *

On my back lay a massive red-bladed claymore, constructed from the same material as Kallen's katana but much wider, two palms length in width. Almost as tall as Kallen. The shape of the sword was crude, straight lines, ending in a diagonal line at its tip. The hilt was decorated with my signature phoenix symbol and wrapped in the sturdiest crimson leather. I considered naming my sword but decided it wouldn't be appropriate – the sword would mean nothing without its owner. I didn't want my sword to be feared, but myself.

Someone else came out of my Paladin, though. It was C.C., head covered in an executioner's hood.

"Let me see the rat's face!" Tamaki screamed and I sighed, he would never change.

"No." I rebuked him. "If the Prince wishes to keep his identity a secret, so be it. You have no need to know his face." Ohgi knew of the plan's intricacies, he knew me and Lelouch were part of the Imperial family, and he knew that it was paramount that not all of the Blades knew of our plan, they wouldn't approve of Britannians, princes no less, being the leaders of their group. Cornelia also knew of our secret identities, she was our ally in the fight against the Emperor, ever since that faithful day, she knew that Marianne wasn't murdered by terrorists, she knew she had recalled her Royal Guard, the late empress definitely knew her murderers, only a few people could have done something like that, and the Emperor was surely involved somehow.

I grabbed C.C. tightly and sauntered towards the cells, Kallen leading the way a step in front of me, I noticed the way she walked in heels and didn't fail to compliment her on it, not after what had happened earlier today. "Nice legs." I said, intentionally wording it in a blunt fashion, gauging the reaction, and I wasn't disappointed – she turned, facing me, and gave me a foxy, flirtatious grin, her eyes seemingly beckoning me closer, I howled silently through my breath, I couldn't believe my luck.

* * *

I was relaxing my eyes in the Officer's Lounge in HQ, head laid back on the top part of the couch, I was in casual suit, the helmet with the hood remained but I didn't have the heavy armour on, I was wearing a loose uniform with my new colour scheme, with the phoenix embroidered on the left lapel of the jacket.

'I'm here in front of the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel. The hotel jackers have identified themselves as the Japan Liberation Front. Members of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, most notably, chairman James, were taken hostage as well as several tourists and hotel employees. This footage was taken by the perpetrators; in it, you can clearly see chairman James, including some students. The leader of the group claims to be Lieutenant-Colonel Kusakabe of the now defunct Japanese military. Sakuradite, an essential component in the manufacture of high-temperature super conductors, is a vital strategic resource that directly affects world security. Area 11 is the largest producer of this material, providing 70% of the world's total supply. Here at the yearly national meeting of Sakuradite producers, it will be determined how this resource will be distributed among the world's nations. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome determines the balance of global power between Britannia and other countries. It is believed that the terrorists are using world interest in the annual gathering to their advantage by carrying out this violent hotel takeover.' I raised my head and opened my eyes, the images on the TV showed members of the Ashford Academy Student Council and... pink hair?! I scrambled to my feet quickly and barged into Zero's quarters, he was talking with C.C. "Are you seeing this?!" I asked, slightly flushed from the run.

* * *

We had commandeered a news van and we were standing atop it, now both clad in full uniform. Cornelia lander her KMF in front of the van and blared through the speakers: "Explain yourselves!"

"It is in our power to save the hostages." Zero stated calmly, there was no reason Cornelia had to stop us, she knew our identities after all.

"And what makes you think I need help?" she continued, for the sake of appearances.

"The fact that Princess Euphemia li Britannia is amongst them." Zero stated and tapped two times on the roof of the van with his heel, prompting Kallen to drive it closer to the hotel, we were let through.

* * *

We were now in a room with Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe and his people. Ill intent would be a nice way to put it, my Geass was screaming at me, I could feel the beginnings of a headache worm their way inside my head. Walking through a prison did not cause me as much pain, this were truly despicable people, I wouldn't mind seeing all of them dead.

"Zero, what brings us this pleasure?" Kusakabe asked arrogantly, we were only four people, counting Kallen and Ohgi, the only weapons we had were medieval swords, or so he thought.

"Let me make this clear to you, this is not a pleasure, not for us and certainly not for you. The fact that you have captured innocent civilians and are slowly killing them in order to be met your demands is disgraceful, to Japan and to what me and my associates stand for." Zero stated fiercely. His sword was sheathed on his back like mine, but his was a bastard sword – fitting, I thought, for the Prince who wishes his father's death most of all, that was my deductive reasoning, my Geass didn't actually work on Lelouch. Ohgi's sword was a katana, not unlike Kallen's own.

We all reached for our swords at once, perfectly synchronised – like ballet dancers. I was the one who managed to draw my sword first, slashing three of Kusakabe's heads in one swing, blood did not spurt out because the vibrating blades cauterised the wounds instantly. All my companions managed to dispose of their targets, killing them instantly, all except for Lelouch, who chose instead to cut through Kusakabe's handgun – he was utterly helpless.

"But, why?" Kusakabe asked, he was kneeling now and his eyes were wide, his pupils dilated and his eyebrows raised. He held his hands in defence in front of his chest.

"If only you had paid attention to what I just told you, Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe. I am certain that you acted on your own, not under JLF orders. I would think you see the shame in your actions." As he said the last sentence, Zero's helmet slid open to reveal his left eye.

Kusakabe's shoulders slackened, his eyes shone with the red of the Geass, his hands dropping on his thighs, in a classic seiza position. His sword had been disposed of and he held up his hands, palm facing upwards, eyes looking down. I understood what Lelouch had just precipitated, I reached for one of the former JLF member's katana hilt and drew it with a sibilant, metallic sound. I proceeded in kneeling and placing the katana in Kusakabe's upturned hands. I stood up, drew Ohgi's katana and waited patiently, facing Kusakabe's side. He raised up the katana, tip facing towards his own abdomen and thrust forcefully, raising it up and then across, his head stood low to the ground at this time. I raised up my own katana and swung down, in a perfect kenjutsu swing. I completed the motion by swinging forcefully to my right, as if to remove the blood on the blade and returned the katana to Ohgi's sheath. A loathsome person he may had been, but he deserved a samurai's death. Both Ohgi and Kallen nodded solemnly at the ritual.

The whole building shook and my first instinct was to hold on to Kallen and shielding her with my body. The tremors passed and I realised that Cornelia must have summoned the Lancelot to destroy the building's foundation, Zero had briefed us on this just hours prior. "We have to hurry." he said, his tone not quite as confident as usual.

* * *

The charges were set off and we all lined up on the bow of the ship. The dust promptly cleared and now we were out in the open, out where the whole world could see us, courtesy of Mr. Reed's impressive camera ensemble. All the hostages were sitting safely inside life boats.

"People! Fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit. We are 'Jus Gladii'." Zero stated vehemently, the name resonated with me – 'the right of the sword', the right to execute someone for a capital offence, supreme jurisdiction. "We of Jus Gladii stand with those who have no weapons to wield; regardless of whether they be Elevens or Britannians. The Japan Liberation Front cowardly took innocent Britannian civilians hostage, and then mercilessly executed them. It was a wanton and meaningless act, therefore they have been punished. Just as former Viceroy Clovis was punished for ordering the slaughter of countless unarmed Elevens, we could not stand by and allow such cruelty to be carried out, and so we made him pay for his actions. I will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong. The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed! Wherever oppressors have abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again. No matter how mighty, or formidable our foe may be! Those of you with power, fear us!" he raised his left arm menacingly "Those of you without it, rally behind us!" he raised his right, as if to take those under his wing "We, the Blades, shall be the ones who stand in judgement of this world!" the fervour in his voice evident, I could already feel the admiration in the commoner's looks. It was moments like this that made me feel proud to be one of Zero's accomplices.


End file.
